Concept album

In popular music, a concept album is an album which is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical" (Shuker 2002, p.5). They are most often pre-planned (conceived) and with all songs contributing to a single overall theme or unified story, this plan or story being the concept. This is in contrast to the standard practice of an artist or group releasing an album consisting of a number of unconnected songs that the members of the group or the artist have written, or have been chosen to perform or cover. Given that the suggestion of something as vague as an overall mood often tags a work as being a concept album, a precise definition of the term proves highly problematic.

In the meaning attributed to the words "concept album" in the contemporary rock era (from 1966 onwards - the point at which critics started to differentiate between "pop music" and "rock music" as a more serious form) - there were broadly speaking two genres of concept album: those that were essentially thematically-linked song cycles such as The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band which did not claim a storyline, and those that presented a narrative story that threaded the songs - such as The Who's Tommy. Music critics of that era did not usually distinguish between the two genres of concept album. An album that met either criterion was commonly referred to as a concept album. However, the distinction between the two types of concept album is instructive to note in respect of claims that are made as to which album may have been the "first" concept album in the rock era. Given this legitimate distinction - there are probably several contenders in each genre.

Early examples

What could very loosely be considered the first concept albums were released in the late 1930s by singer Lee Wiley on the Liberty Records label, featuring eight songs on four 78s by great showtunes composers of the day, such as Harold Arlen and Cole Porter, anticipating more comprehensive efforts by Verve Records impresario Norman Granz with Ella Fitzgerald by almost two decades.

In the late '40s, Kansas City pianist Pete Johnson recorded the album Pete's House Warmin' , in which he starts out playing alone, supposedly in new empty house, and is joined there by J. C. Higgenbotham, J.C. Heard, and other Kansas City players. Each has a solo backed by Pete and then the whole group plays a jam session together.

In folk music, Woody Guthrie's 1940 debut album Dust Bowl Ballads is also an early possibility. In 1973 country and pop music icon Bobby Bare recorded "Lullabys, Legends and Lies" which was written by Shel Silverstein. The record was arguably the first concept album for country music.

Frank Sinatra, both with early albums originally released as 78s for Columbia Records such as The Voice of Frank Sinatra from 1945, and continuing through his thematically programmed albums of the 1950s for Capitol Records starting with the ten-inch 33s Songs for Young Lovers and Swing Easy, is generally credited with both popularizing and developing the concept album, and it was at this time that the specific term was first used. Perhaps the first full Sinatra concept album example is In the Wee Small Hours from 1955, where the songs – all ballads – were specifically recorded for the album, and organized around a central mood of late-night isolation and aching lost love, and the album cover strikingly reinforced that theme.

However, notion of a concept album did not really gel at that point, and was not widely imitated, aside from occasional examples such as country singer Marty Robbins' Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs from 1959, or, as the first example from rock, Little Deuce Coupe from 1963 by The Beach Boys, each of whose 12 songs were about America's car culture.

60s rock

In 1966, several rock releases were arguably concept albums in the sense that they presented a set of thematically-linked songs - and they also instigated other rock artists to consider using the album format in a similar fashion: Pet Sounds, again by the Beach Boys, a masterful musical portrayal of Brian Wilson's would-be state of mind (and a huge inspiration to Paul McCartney); the Mothers of Invention's sardonic farce about rock music and America as a whole, Freak Out!; and Face to Face by The Kinks, the first collection of Ray Davies's idiosyncratic character studies of ordinary people. However, none of these attracted a wide commercial audience.

This all changed with The Beatles' celebrated 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. With this release in June of 1967, the notion of the concept album came to the forefront of the popular and critical mind, with the earlier prototypes and examples from classic pop and other genres sometimes forgotten. The phrase entered the popular lexicon. And a "concept album" - the term became imbued with the notion of artistic purpose - was inherently considered to be somehow more creative or worthy of attention than a mere collection of new songs. This perception of course related to the intent of the artist rather than the specific content.

In fact, as pointed out by many critics since its original reception, Sgt. Pepper is a concept album only by some definitions of the term. There was, at some stage during the making of the album an attempt to relate the material to an obscure radio play about the life of an ex-army bandsman and his shortcomings but this concept was lost in the final production. On it, the Beatles supposedly adopt fictionalized personae, and the title song, styled as the theme song of the fictional "Lonely Hearts Club Band", wraps around the rest of the album like bookends. However, most of the songs on the album are narratively unrelated to the theme, and the fictional characters have little life beyond the introduction of Ringo Starr as "Billy Shears" in the segue between the first two tracks. On the other hand, the slice-of-life character miniatures and short story structure of many of the songs, especially those penned primarily by Paul McCartney, echo elements commonly found in other thematic works such as musicals and opera. This feeling was reinforced by the album's device use of running musical tracks one after the other (without a pause) or linked with transitions rather than the customary silent space between tracks. Even more striking was the album's opulent cover, packaged inserts, and full lyrics printed on the back, all of which suggested a unified work more than just a collection of songs. In any case, while debate exists over the extent to which Sgt. Pepper qualifies as a true concept album, there is no doubt that its reputation as such helped inspire other artists to produce concept albums of their own, and inspired the public to anticipate them. The Beatles themselves were very proud of Sgt. Pepper for its artistic achievements but both Lennon and McCartney distanced themselves from the "concept album" tag as applied to that album.

In the wake of the Sgt. Pepper triumph, concept albums became the rage among serious rock artists, with mixed results. The Rolling Stones attempted to duplicate Sgt. Pepper with more explicitly drug and occult-inspired overtones with Their Satanic Majesties Request, but it proved to be a commercial and artistic failure, one that the Stones quickly learned from and moved on. The album made no attempt to fashion a concept around the disparate songs on the album. The unifying nature of the album (such as it was) came primarily from the musical atmosphere, the subject matter of the lyrics, and the psychedelic cover art; the Stones themselves never identified the album as a concept album.

The album S.F. Sorrow (released in December 1968) by British group The Pretty Things is generally considered to be among the first creatively successful rock concept albums - in that each song is part of an overarching unified concept -- the life story of the main character, Sebastian Sorrow. Despite its effective production qualities and strong material, and although it received almost unanimously glowing reviews on release, the album was not a major commercial success. However, the fact that the album format had now been effectively used to present a threaded storyline was noted by other artists such as Pete Townshend of The Who and Ray Davies of The Kinks - both of whom were already working on their own projects in this genre. In this respect, the Pretty Things album did have an impact on some influential artists and on rock culture itself. Prior to this release - the band had been considered an R&B (rhythm and blues) band - but their venture into producing a concept album did at least result in the band being re-cast in general perception as a progressive rock band - an important and valuable transition at that time.

Released just five months later in April 1969, was the "rock opera" Tommy composed by Pete Townshend and performed by The Who. This acclaimed work was presented over two discs (still unusual in those days) and it took the idea of thematically based albums to a much higher appreciation by both critics and the public. It was also the first story-based concept album of the rock era (as distinct from the song-cycle style album) to enjoy commercial success. The Who went on to further explorations of the concept album format with their follow-up project Lifehouse - which was abandoned before completion and with their 1973 rock opera Quadrophenia.

Five months after the release of Tommy The Kinks released their own rock opera Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) (September 1969) written by Ray Davies - the first of several concept albums released by the band through the first few years of the 1970s. These were: Lola versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One (1970), Preservation Act 1 (1973), Preservation Act 2 (1974), Soap Opera (1975) and Schoolboys in Disgrace (1976)

Two albums released in the autumn of 1967 were also concept albums - though they did not get the same media attention later accorded to The Who's Tommy.

Days of Future Passed (1967) by the Moody Blues, alternated songs by the group with orchestral interludes to document a typical "everyman's day". Though music critics did not accord the album or the band the same respect given to bands deemed to have more street credibility such as The Who and The Kinks - the album was very successful commercially.

The Story of Simon Simopath by Nirvana produced by Island Records' founder Chris Blackwell was issued in October 1967 in a "gatefold cover" (most unusual packaging for a debut album) which presented a text giving the storyline of the album - described as a "science fiction pantomime". The album attracted positive critical attention but did not enjoy big sales in the UK.

Astral Weeks, released in 1968 by Van Morrison was another album that was loved by the critics but didn't initially sell well. It frequently crops up in lists of the best albums of all time.

The Small Faces put out what might be considered half a concept album, in Ogden's Nut Gone Flake, the more unique for having the first round sleeve, printed to resemble a large tin of tobacco. One side of the album was The Story of Happiness Stan, a series of songs linked by the unique narrative of comedian Stanley Unwin..

70s prog

Concept albums are especially common in the progressive rock genre of the 1970s, although rarely did that equal a lasting commercial or critical legacy for the band or artist involved. Most notably, Pink Floyd recast itself from its 1960s guise as a quirky, intermittently successful psychedelic band into a commercial mega-success with its classic series of concept albums, beginning with Dark Side of the Moon from 1973, followed by Wish You Were Here, Animals, the Wall and The Final Cut, with Roger Waters behind the themes and storylines. Yes also put out various concept albums during the 70's, most notably Tales from Topographic Oceans, which would become a defining album of prog rock but would arguably lead to the genre's decline. Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull wrote a number of successful concept albums, notably "Thick as a Brick" which was a long song around 43 minutes in length and which included material intended to "spoof" the concept album genre.

Engineer and producer Alan Parsons created the Alan Parsons Project with Eric Woolfson in the mid '70s, continuing through the '80s using many session musicians to achieve Parsons' plans. The group has focused exclusively on creating concept albums that explore a specific theme. Project albums each explore a general theme rather than a narative storyline. Topics covered (in chronological order) include: the horror fiction of Edgar Alan Poe (Tales of Mystery and Imagination); the future of humanity inspired by the science fiction of Isaac Asimov (I, Robot); the creation and role of great wonders built by man (Pyramid); the effect of women on men in society (Eve); the corrosive effect of gambling on society (The Turn of a Friendly Card); the effect of surveillance on society (Eye in the Sky); the effect of sin (Ammonia Avenue), consumerism (Vulture Culture) and fame (Stereotomy) on people and society; and an album exploring the architecture of Gaudi (Gaudi). The 'trademark' of APP albums is the inclusion of one or more instrumental tracks that provide a soundscape for the theme, attempting to capture the mood of the album in music without telling a story with words. Some of the Project's most well known songs are some such instrumental tracks, e.g. Sirius from Eye in the Sky.

Concept albums in the 80s

Even though the progressive rock genre was beginning to disappear, concept albums had become a medium that continued. The progressive bands that were still around were still having major successes with concept albums. Styx had multiplatinum albums with 1981's, "Paradise Theater" (a concept album about a decaying theater in Chicago which became a metaphor for childhood and American culture) and 1983's "Kilroy Was Here" (a science fiction rock opera about a future where moralists imprison rock and rollers).

Pink Floyd had what was to become one of their most popular albums, "The Wall," which also became a movie. This was followed up by their "The Final Cut" album, another concept album.

Bands like Queensryche and Iron Maiden enjoyed major successes with concept albums in the 80s.

Punk and New Wave also got in to the act. Black Flag had cult success with the "Damaged" album. The Dead Kennedys had one of their best known albums with Plastic Surgery Disasters, a concept album about modern society.

U2's, though without a definitive "story" have always had a concept. This harkens back to the early days of the medium when the albums were conceptual in theme, and didn't necessarily have a "plot".

Prince also scored a major success with his concept album, "Purple Rain".

Later examples

As relatively inacessible works less conducive to the production of hit singles, in the intervening decades concept albums have often been out of vogue. Radiohead increased acceptance of a thematic soundscapes with less commercial appeal in terms of singles with OK Computer from 1997, the related Kid A and Amnesiac albums of 2000 and 2001, although these are not tighly formed narative works as with most concept albums.

Within the progressive metal genre, Dream Theater ended the 20th Century with Metropolis Part 2: Scenes from a Memory in 1999. This concept album was a sequel to their original song from their 1992 album Images and Words, about a present day man's nightmares of his death in his previous life in 1928. Again, in 2005, Dream Theater released Octavarium, however this album's concept is based around a musical octave.^* Another band known for their concept albums in this genre is Pain Of Salvation, who recently released their sixth studio-album BE.

An example for a Techno concept album is Metropolis by Jeff Mills (2001), yet another alternative score for the movie of the same name. German electro band Kraftwerk released their latest concept album Tour de France Soundtracks in 2003, the main theme of the album is cycling.

In 2004, the punk rock band Green Day released the concept album American Idiot to rave reviews and commercial success. The album tells the story of an young suburban man (the "Jesus of Suburbia") who leaves his hometown, creates himself a new identity (St. Jimmy) supposed to be "rebellious" (self-destructive), meets a girl (Whatsername), falls in love, dates her, receives a break-up letter (Letterbomb) that opens his eyes, socially kills St. Jimmy, realizes that the world is not as it was portrayed to be, and returns emotionally more mature.

Since the 1980s, concept albums have been frequent in the power metal and epic metal genres. One of the most notable power metal bands to use the concept ablum is Kamelot. Kamelot's last two releases, Epica and The Black Halo, are two parts of a tale following the protagonist Ariel and his interactions with the many different forms and experiences with the evil Mephisto. The two album story is based on Goethe's Faust. Except for George Clinton's P-Funk albums from the 1970's, the first recent R&B concept album is TP.3 Reloaded, by R. Kelly released in 2005, which features 5 chapters of the "Trapped... in the Closet" soap opera. The album received a great deal of press for being ground breaking in the R&B genre. Kelly subsequently released a Trapped... in the Closet DVD of music videos containing chapters 1-12, completing the rambling tale of unfaithful lovers.

A recent concept album released in 2006 is Blue October's Foiled. Justin, the lead singer, tells the story of ending a relationship with a girl he loves, but still keeping in touch with her. It ruins his life because he waits by the phone for her to call, becomes an alcoholic (among other drugs), and is ultimately committed to a mental institute. He goes to her wedding (in the song 'Congratulations'), and then decides he is going to change his negative effect on everyone. He eventually finds someone who was even better than the previous relationship, and the album ends on a high note with '18th Floor Balcony'.

Although often an artist may plan to record an upcoming work as a concept piece, however the difficulty of creating a unified work without discord can stop artists from creating a true concept album. For example Billy Corgan commented during the recording of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness that the album would be 'the Wall of the '90s', but other material crept into the work and the final product lacked the cohesiveness required and the plan for a concept album never eventualed. Similar sentiments were expressed by New Zealand band Evermore in the leadup to their debut album Dreams, an album that recalls the works of Pink Floyd and others as it begins with an ambient instrumental track, where the listener is roused by the sound of increasing heartbeat, ticking, the sound of an alarm clock before the first song starts with the lyric "Monday morning hesitate, can't get out of bed, rather go back to the dreams living in my head". U2's albums occasionally have a partially formed concept, but never a definitive "story" or narative.

Musicals in Concept

Many musicals make their first appearance as a concept album, because of the lowered cost of recording an album over mounting an entire stage production. Notable examples of this are Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar (Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber) and Chess (Rice and Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson). Albums recorded in this form are used to prove profitablity - both to attract investors and to raise capital through album sales. This also allows the composer to tweak the final musical production, such as when the sympathetic portrayal of Eva Peron in Evita was changed as a result of public reactions in 1977.

Concept EP

In popular music, EPs are generally released to create anticipation for an album. The concept EP is based around the same premise as the concept LP; a collection of songs based around a set concept or theme as opposed to a random assortment. To ascertain the first concept EP is difficult, as EPs generally receive a far lower amount of attention and pressings than an LP does. At various times several people have claimed to create the first EP, A couple claims to the first concept EP are:
Nik Waller's Chic Whiskers: http://www.nikwaller.co.uk/conceptep.htm
Brian Foy it is, however, essentially a derivative of the concept album, and rarely notable. Another less obscure example of a concept EP is The Mars Volta's "Tremulant" EP that was released as a precursor to their full-length debut, "De-Loused In The Comatorium". The shorter length of an EP makes it easier to create a narrative out of few songs than a full album.

Similar plans

An emerging subset is the historical album, which is more closely tied with specific historically accurate references to persons or places.

An ambitious extension of the concept album idea could be realized in a series of albums which all contribute to a single effect or unified story. Contemporary examples include Gruvis Malt -who just released Maximum Unicorn, the final installment in a four-album arching storyline (spanning 8 years), Coheed and Cambria's -who are sometimes referred to as a concept band because their current form and name is to be used solely for their current story- in-progress five-album epic and mind.in.a.box's Lost Alone and Dreamweb albums which describe an on-going sci-fi themed story in a Matrix-like universe. Brave Saint Saturn has planned a trilogy to tell the story of mankinds first mission to the planet Saturn. Arguably the most ambitious of these is Sufjan Stevens' Fifty-States project, in which he plans to write a series of albums encompassing the concept of the entire United States of America, one for each state, totalling fifty records.

The concept album genre overlaps with rock opera, of which the most famous early example is The Who's aforementioned Tommy (1969). Like Sgt. Pepper, Tommy greatly boosted the visibility of the concept album idea, and the genre also overlaps to a lesser extent with rock musical, of which the most famous early example is Hair (1967).

This style of album has made its way into the rap genre, namely Cage Kennylz & Camu Tao's 2001 release of Are The Nighthawks (album) and Cage Kennylz & Tame One's 2004 release of Waterworld (album). The Nighthawk's album was a trip into the darkside of being a cop, while Waterworld was a blast of PCP induced rhymes, being referred to as a drug related themepark. Rapper Nas had also planned for his third release in 1998 to be a double-album entitled I Am... that would detail the birth, death, and resurrection of a Jesus-like character known as Nastradamus, but heavy bootlegging forced him to change plans and release two separate albums with many new songs, abandoning the concept he had earlier. Many of the songs that did not appear on either album were subsequently released on 2002's The Lost Tapes.

Notes

References

Shuker, Roy (2002). Popular Music: The Key Concepts. ISBN 0415284252.

External links

Musicweb article on concept album

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